Voters face packed ballot in Dearborn primary election

Aug. 2, 2013

Written by

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

When voters go to the polls Tuesday in Dearborn for the city’s primary election, they'll have a full ballot to pick from, with some familiar faces, but also a number of newcomers vying for mayor, clerk and City Council.

Two longtime City Council members are stepping down, prompting 21 candidates — five of them incumbents — to run for seven seats. In the mayor’s race, there are four people challenging Mayor Jack O’Reilly Jr.

As the eighth biggest city in Michigan, Dearborn’s tax base is supported by large corporations such as Ford, which is headquartered there. The city’s taxable property value is $3.2 billion — 38% the size of the value in Detroit, a city of 700,000 that’s seven times as big as Dearborn’s 98,000 population. Dearborn’s tax base allows it to have generous city services, from senior centers to swimming pools to a city-owned camp in Milford.

But economic challenges have led to a decrease in services in recent years, including the closing of pools, a library and the city’s health department. Some residents have raised questions about those cuts, given the number of employees in Dearborn with six-figure salaries and what they say is mismanagement of city tax dollars. The city’s millage rate jumped from 15.3 in 2001 to 21.4 today, plus an additional 4.5 mills to pay for a combined sewer overflow project.

In recent months, the city’s planned move of City Hall also sparked controversy. Critics — even some City Council candidates — blasted the mayor and City Council for approving a move they say was done without sufficient public notice and that will end up costing taxpayers. City officials, though, say the move is intended to save money in the long run through decreased maintenance costs at City Hall, which is a 91-year-old building.

Mayor

O’Reilly has been mayor since the last mayor, Michael Guido, died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 52. Previously the City Council president, O’Reilly was elected in a special election in February 2007 with 93% of the vote and re-elected in November 2009 with 88% of the vote. His father was mayor of Dearborn from 1978 to 1985.

“We have a history of providing the best services for our residents while maintaining a responsible budget,” O’Reilly said in a campaign statement to the Free Press. “To continue that success, we must find ways to reduce unnecessary costs and make sure that everyone is paying their fair share of the tax burden.”

O’Reilly said he is working to attract new home buyers, especially young families, by assuring them that the city is safe.

“I will not compromise our police and fire services. In addition, I intend to continue to upgrade our older neighborhoods and business districts.”

O’Reilly’s challengers are Ziad Abdulmalik, a college student; Tahir Hassan Alaragy, a financial consultant; Nofila Haidar, who’s self-employed, and Edward Binkley, who stocks shelves at a gas station and does landscaping.

Binkley said he wants to reopen Snow Library, keep the pools open and make sure to “keep our property and streets clean,” according to his statement with the League of Women Voters.

The three other challengers couldn’t be reached by the Free Press for comment.

City Council

Two longtime City Council members, Suzanne Sareini and Nancy Hubbard, are retiring after serving for decades. Sareini, the first Muslim woman to serve on the council, has endorsed her son, Mike Sareini, an attorney and salesman. The five other incumbents are running to retain their seats.

The top 14 vote-getters in next week’s primary will advance to the general election for the seven seats on the council. Challengers include Kristyn Taylor, a law clerk, and Stephen Dobkowski Jr., a salesman, both of whom have been critics of the city’s proposed sale and move of City Hall. Last year, Taylor helped create a group called Dearborn Residents for Accountability to help residents monitor how the city spends its money.

Tarek Baydoun and Susan Dabaja, attorneys who are active in the Arab-American community, have launched public campaigns. Two former members of the Dearborn School Board, Mary Petlichokoff and Sharon Dulmage, are running, too.

City clerk

Dearborn City Clerk Kathleen Buda, who’s been in her position since 1998, faces two challengers, Khalil Dakhlallah, who works in student services for Dearborn Public Schools, and Mark Jess Dawdy, an operations manager at a surveying and engineering company.